Harry Potter and the Ring of Slytherin: Year 6
by Aeris Villafort
Summary: It all began with a prophecy…a prophecy that will reveal the secret to the destruction of the boy who lived…The boy that is destined to end the Dark Lord’s reign of terror…But what if the fulfillment of the dark prophecy lies behind an angelic fac
1. Chapter 1: The Ring

Chapter 1: The Ring Harry Potter always thought that there's a huge barrier that separates the muggle world from the magical world. They surely had a lot of differences which was quite obvious. The first one was plain and ordinary while the latter was fascinating and full of adventure. But Harry never realized until today that that barrier was actually larger than he thought. Privet Drive was as unnaturally dull and normal as ever. The sun shone brightly on the cloudless sky. The men drove their cars out of their driveways and set off to work and the women scurried to their neighbours to find out the latest gossip. The weather was also quite perfect and even Vernon Dursley, Harry's beefy, neckless and grumpy uncle, couldn't find anything to grumble about. While Harry was sitting under the warm sun on the freshly cut grass of the Dursley's back yard and Uncle Vernon was reading the morning paper, the other world, which was the magical world, was in total chaos. The news of the return of the Dark Lord, Voldemort, has reached all witches and wizards in England and even those in America and Asia. This shocking news brought back their memories of the Dark Lord's reign more than fifteen years ago. And those were really dark memories indeed! The magical people witnessed how the Dark Lord and his loyal followers, the Death Eaters, murdered and tortured the people they held dear. Death Eaters were everywhere, destroying their homes, crops and belongings. Many parents lost their children and many children became orphans, including Harry. The fear that history would repeat itself flooded the minds of the magical folks. Panic and paranoia could be seen everywhere...and the boy that saved the magical world from the Dark Lord fifteen years ago... was now lying under the sun, eating French toast. It wasn't easy for Harry to stay with the Dursleys while Voldemort was out there planning his next attack. It's not because Harry's afraid of him. Harry was never frightened of Voldemort. Voldemort has already tried to kill him before. He actually attempted five times but Harry always managed to escape from his grasp. Harry hated staying there because his friends were out there and he's doing nothing to protect them. His stomach turned at the thought of his friends being harmed by Voldemort. So many people have died because of him, including his parents and godfather and he wouldn't be able to bare it if he loses one more. At that moment the faces of Ron, Hermoine, Hagrid, the Weasleys, Dumbledore and his Hogwarts friends flashed in his mind. Then, to his surprise, he saw them all standing right in front of him, as if his thoughts suddenly materialized. There they were, Ron, Hermione and the others. They were standing just a few yards from Uncle Vernon's car. They were all staring at Harry, smiling. A mixed feeling of joy and confusion came upon Harry as he cautiously approached them. "What are you all doing here?" he asked but none of them answered. They all just stared and smiled at him. "What's going on? Answer me!" Harry bellowed desperately. Harry came closer but he stopped half-way as he noticed the blank expression on their eyes. Even Dumbledore's bright blue eyes didn't have that spark it usually had. Harry backed away a few steps, and then he noticed that everything began to turn grey. He looked up and saw the sun being covered by gigantic grey clouds. Then he stumbled to the ground when he heard a very familiar voice. "Let him go Harry!" Harry looked up and saw Cedric Diggory looking as pale as he was, the night Voldemort killed him. With all the remaining strength left in his unnaturally rigid body, Harry spoke. "Let who go?" Cedric stared at Harry's hand. Harry looked down and saw his left hand holding the Triwizard cup and his right was clutching the arm of a dead man, his own godfather, Sirius Black. Sirius' face was as white as paper, his whole body soaked with blood and his almost transparent eyes were wide open. Harry gasped as he instantly released his godfather's arm and the Triwizard cup. When he looked around him, Dumbledore and the others were gone. Instead, he's surrounded by hooded people dressed in black robes. He couldn't see any of their faces but at that moment fear rushed inside him. They reminded Harry of Dementors for all his saddest memories came flooding into his mind. But they couldn't be Dementors because they're only as tall as normal human beings and Harry was certain that they were human. If they aren't Dementors, they can only be one thing, Death Eaters! Harry saw them at the cemetery with Voldemort during his 4th year at Hogwarts and again at the Ministry of Magic during his 5th year, which is why he's certain that those people around him were Death eaters. The Death Eaters encircled Harry and began whispering and laughing. Then they began walking closer and closer towards him. He had nowhere to go. He's trapped! Suddenly, his scar began to hurt. The pain was much worse than the one he felt before. He felt like his forehead was being split into two. Clutching his scar and moaning in pain, he fell to the ground. He writhed and curled as if someone cast a Cruciatus curse on him. The Death Eaters surrounded him. Harry knew that it's over. Then suddenly, he heard a cold hissing voice. "Stop!" the voice said. Harry knew only one person with that kind of voice, Lord Voldemort. At the sound of Voldemort's voice the Death Eaters slowly walked away from Harry. Then they all bowed down and knelt. Harry waited for Voldemort to emerge from the shadows, expecting to see the thin, tall and frightening man he saw at the Ministry of Magic. A white clad figure slowly stepped forward. But instead of a thin and tall man, Harry saw a girl. Harry couldn't see her face but he was certain it was a girl. She was probably as tall as Hermoine and wearing a long white dress. She raised her hand and the Death Eaters crawled back to give way. As she walked closer to Harry, he noticed something glowing on her finger, a ring. The ring looked like a silver serpent coiled around the girl's finger and in its wide- opened mouth was a shiny green orb. The orb glowed brighter as the girl came closer to Harry. And the closer she got to him, the more pain he felt on his forehead. When she was about an arm's length away from him, she stopped and spoke in a gentle voice. "Come with me and you'll never be alone." "I am not alone! I have my friends with me!" Harry shouted. "Are you sure? Why don't you look around you?" said the girl. Harry stood up and did what the girl said. He found himself surrounded by tomb stones. And written on them were the names: Ronald Weasley, Hermoine Granger, Rubeus Hagrid, Sirius Black, Lily and James Potter, and even Albus Dumbledore. Then he heard Voldemort's voice said, "You see dear boy, you are ALONE!!!" Then he laughed. The coldest and most cruel laugh Harry has ever heard. Harry's vision began to spin, the pain on his forehead felt more excruciating than ever and all he could do was to scream, "Noooooo!!!" "No!" Harry bolted up, sweating and screaming. His heart was thumping really fast and there were tears in his eyes. He looked around him. He realized that he was still in the Dursley's back yard. He must have fallen asleep while he lay there. It was all just a dream. The same dream he's been having for weeks. He must have had that dream for dozens of times but he still woke up screaming. The dream was so real and so frightening. And the weirdest part was that whenever Harry woke up from that dream, the thing that he remembered most vividly was the ring. 


	2. Chapter 2: The Daily Prophet

Chapter2: The Daily Prophet  
  
Vernon Dursley came marching out of the house and grabbed Harry by the ear and dragged him back inside. "What the devil do you think you're doing out there?" he roared.  
  
"I was just sleeping!" Harry said defiantly.  
  
"You weren't sleeping, you filthy little liar! I heard you screaming with my own two ears! Even those who live a few blocks from here could have heard that noise!"  
  
Harry was about to defend himself when a huge barn owl swooped into the living room. It dropped a piece of rolled-up parchment on top of Uncle Vernon's head. Vernon went even madder. His face turned red and he looked like he's going to explode. "What did I tell you about those bloody owls? Haven't I told you that -"  
  
"Shush Vernon!" ordered Aunt Petunia, Vernon's long-necked and nosy wife. Then she looked at Harry and said, "Well, take a look at it", pointing at the parchment.  
  
Harry and Uncle Vernon looked at each other, quite confused. It had been the fifth time that Aunt Petunia showed interest on the letters coming from the Wizarding world.  
  
Harry did what he was told. He picked up the parchment and opened it and it turned out to be the latest issue of the Daily Prophet. A moving photograph of Dumbledore shaking Fudge's hand could be seen at the front page.  
  
"It's today's issue of the-" Harry hesitated. Mentioning the slightest detail about the Wizarding world usually started a heated argument at the Dursley manor. He looked at Aunt Petunia and she signalled him to go on, "It's today's issue of the Daily Prophet, the wizarding world's newspaper."  
  
Those words infuriated Uncle Vernon even more. He was at the verge of attacking Harry when Aunt Petunia blocked him and pushed him to the couch. "Now sit and listen to what the boy has to say!" she commanded him in a very bossy tone, as if she's talking to a small puppy.  
  
She brought her attention back to Harry, "So what does it say?"  
  
Harry read a bit of the front page and reported in a low voice, "Well, they still haven't got any new on the whereabouts of Vol- .I mean, the Dark Lord. But they announced that Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts and Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, along with the muggle.I mean, the British Prime Minister are forming an alliance against the Dark Lord."  
  
Harry waited for Aunt Petunia's response but she just stood there thinking and her face looked awfully serious. Ever since Harry arrived from Hogwarts, Aunt Petunia kept asking him questions about the Dark lord's return like, "Was he caught by the authorities?", "Will they catch him any time soon?" and a lot more. Although Harry found it strange.It seemed that Aunt Petunia was the only person aside from Harry that was sensible enough to see the seriousness of the situation. She seemed to know a lot more about the Wizarding world than Harry thought.  
  
In an attempt to get his dignity back, Uncle Vernon stood to continue scolding Harry but before he could do that, Harry dashed out of the living room and into his room upstairs. He laid the Daily prophet on his bed and began scanning the pages.  
  
If last summer, there wasn't a single article about the Dark Lord's return on the Daily Prophet .well, this summer, the paper reported of nothing else. Every page, from cover to cover was filled with articles about Death Eater sightings, Dementor attacks, mysterious disappearances that might be connected to the Dark Lord, and of course exclusive interviews with Harry Potter himself.  
  
Before Harry rode the train back to London, reporters from various newspapers and magazines had been chasing him all over Hogwarts to get an interview. He was famous before but that's nothing compared to how famous he was now. He told the reporters what they needed to know but he didn't bother filling them in with the details. They wouldn't be able to hassle him anymore now that he's in Privet Drive.at least that's what he thought.  
  
As Harry turned to page eleven, he saw a picture of a funny-looking woman in full-colour and she was winking at him. She had long, curly orange- red hair that looked awful with her bright purple eyes. She was wearing a tight fiery red velvet robe that matches her scarlet lipstick and nail polish. She also had glasses that looked like that of Rita Skeeter, although the lenses had the shade of pink instead of being colourless. She had the look of a woman on her late forties who seemed to be under the illusion that she's a girl on her late teens. Her wrinkles were quite obvious even though she desperately tried to hide them with her make-up.  
  
The caption below the picture said Elizabeth Iglich: Fashion and Lifestyle. "So, she writes for the Fashion and Lifestyle column of the Daily Prophet." Harry said to himself. "No wonder the fashion sense of witches today is so weird!"  
  
"Watch your tongue dahhh-ling!" said a flirty female voice.  
  
Harry looked around but there was nobody there but him. He looked at the picture and Elizabeth Iglich was grinning at him. "It can't be!" exclaimed Harry.  
  
"Yes it can!" said the picture. "Well, if you'd be so kind dear, could you take that red dot away from me? It's ruining my picture."  
  
"What red dot?" asked Harry.  
  
"The one below my picture." replied the woman sweetly.  
  
Harry looked below the picture and saw a tiny red thing that seemed to be glued on the paper. Curiously, he slowly reached for it and the moment his finger touched it, he felt a jerk somewhere behind his navel. This felt really familiar to him and he didn't like this feeling at all. He tried to take his finger off the red dot but he couldn't. Then he started feeling dizzy and everything around him appeared to be revolving really fast. Then the dot seemed to be pulling him downwards until all he could see were swirling winds and colours. He shut his eyes and when he opened them, a pair of bright purple gems where in front of him.  
  
Then he heard that irritatingly sweet voice again. "Are you okay daaah-ling?"  
  
He shut his eyes again and rubbed it. When he opened it, he realized that what he saw weren't a pair of purple gems; they were the eyes of Elizabeth Iglich.the real Elizabeth Iglich.  
  
"Elizabeth Iglich!" exclaimed Harry.  
  
"Please daah-ling call me Lizzy!" replied Elizabeth.  
  
Harry looked around him. He was definitely not in his room anymore and most definitely not in Privet Drive. He was in a large room that seemed to be an office. There was a huge desk behind him, covered with scarlet velvet with lace trimmings, and a large chair that looked like an oversized purple ostrich was behind it. The walls were covered with bright-coloured wallpaper with red and purple stripes.  
  
The room was definitely an interior decorator's nightmare. Harry couldn't even keep his eyes open because they couldn't stand the bright contrasting colours of the room. When Harry finally came to his senses he suddenly blurted out, "Where am I?"  
  
Lizzy giggled like a teenage girl and said, "You're in my office, silly!"  
  
"You're office! But how did I get here?"  
  
"Oh, I forgot to mention that the red dot is a portkey. I made it myself using a small bit of chewing gum. Clever isn't it?"  
  
"You tricked me into coming here!" bawled Harry.  
  
"My, my, you've got quite a temper daah-ling! You don't have to be that upset, all I want is an interview!"  
  
"Interview! INTERVIEW! I told you people a dozen times everything that I know! What more do you want from me?"  
  
Lizzy grinned at Harry and looked straight into his eyes, which made him very uncomfortable. "We both know that there's more to the story than what you told the other reporters."  
  
Harry looked down. He was quite uneasy because he felt like she's reading he's thoughts when she looked into his eyes. Without looking into her eyes he said, "Look, there's nothing more I can say! Just take me back!"  
  
But Lizzy just sat on her feathered chair and brought out a piece of parchment and a red quill. "Sorry dear, but I didn't go into all this trouble just to get nothing! I'm not taking you back until I get an interview!"  
  
Harry could not believe this woman! She must be really desperate to get a story. But why would the writer of the Fashion and Lifestyle column be interested in the story of the Dark Lord's return?  
  
As if she knew what Harry was thinking, Lizzy said, "You're probably wondering why would I, the very fashionable writer of the widely read Fashion and Lifestyle column of the Daily Prophet, be interested in your story."  
  
Dumbfounded, Harry nodded.  
  
"Well, you see the fear of the Dark Lord has become a part of the lifestyle of the people here in the magical world. And that's why I want to present to the people an inside look at the heart and mind of their tragic little hero.you!" She paused for a moment then she folded the sleeves of her robe and placed the quill on top of the parchment. "So shall we begin?"  
  
Harry couldn't help but feeling that he'd prefer to be in a broom cupboard again with Rita Skeeter than to be in the same room with this woman. Her irritating smile and fake giggles made Harry feel sick. The colour of the room that seemed to be designed by a person who was colour-blind didn't help at all.  
  
But Harry decided to give in. He had no choice. What harm could an interview do? The sooner they finish, the sooner he could leave this place. "Okay, go on!" Harry said bitterly.  
  
Lizzy giggle excitedly and her quill started moving rapidly by itself. "So, Harry daah-ling, what were you doing before that terrible event took place?" she asked dramatically.  
  
Harry opened his mouth to answer but he saw something that made his heart stop beating for a moment. There was a tattoo of a serpent coiled around a skull on Lizzy's arm. Only one thought came to Harry's mind.Death Eater! But the tattoo on the Death Eaters is a skull with a serpent as its tongue! This one's different! Well, Death Eater or not, the serpent and the skull were sure signs of Voldemort's supporters! And Harry's alone in a room with one of them!  
  
Harry didn't know what to do. He didn't even know where he was. The only plan that came up in his mind was - Get out of this room.fast! But first he needed a diversion.  
  
"Um. I think I have to go!" Harry suddenly said.  
  
"Go where?" asked Lizzy.  
  
"To the loo." replied Harry.  
  
Lizzy giggled again, "Oh, you mean the little boy's room! Sure dear, its right at the left of - "  
  
But before she could finish what she was saying, Harry rushed out of the room and into the deserted hallway.  
  
"Great! Now where do I go?" said Harry with the sound of panic in his voice.  
  
The hallway was long and narrow and there were numerous doors on both sides. Each door was unique. There wasn't a single door that looked like the others. There was a door covered with posters of men riding flying broomsticks and throwing this red ball at each other. They're probably playing Quidditch, Harry's most favourite sport in the world and the most famous sport in the Wizarding world. On top of the door was a brass plate with the name Kennilworthy Whisp engraved on it and below it were the words, Sports and Leisure. The next door looked like a gigantic magnifying glass and on the brass plate was the name, Cyril Ravelle: Mysteries and Scandals. There were lots of other interesting - looking doors, like the one covered in dragon scales and the one that looked like an hourglass, but Harry didn't had time to look at them because he had to get as far as he could from Lizzy's office.  
  
He ran and ran but the hallway seemed endless. Harry thought it was never going to end until he saw a brass grate. He pushed the button the button beside it and he didn't have to wait long for the lift to arrive. It looked like a normal lift but Harry noticed that even its walls were covered with magenta-coloured rug. And he would soon find out why.  
  
He was suddenly pulled to the wall by a couple of straps. He looked at them and saw that they looked like the seat-belt of a car. They strapped Harry onto the wall until he couldn't move. Once his back was flat against the wall, the lift made a sudden jolt. One minute, Harry was standing up with his back against the wall, the next minute he was lying flat on his back. What used to be the wall was now the floor and what used to be the floor was now the wall. So, technically, Harry was still leaning on the wall, although it's not the wall anymore but the floor.  
  
The lift was moving downward rapidly, and then, without warning, it halted. Harry looked up. The door was now situated where the ceiling was supposed to be. When the straps released his body; he expected that he would have to climb up to get to the door. But to his surprise, gravity was still pulling his feet to the wall. It was as if there was something sticky on his shoes that allowed him to walk on the wall!  
  
When he got out of the lift, everything went back to normal. He's walking on the ground again and not on the wall. He must be on the main lobby of the Daily Prophet building. Harry never imagined it would be this huge and so full of people. Everyone looked so busy. Tiny wizards pushing carts filled with piles of newspapers, bespectacled witches running around muttering about missing their deadlines, warlocks arguing about the title of an article about mermonkeys.They were so busy that no one even noticed Harry.  
  
The circular room had fireplaces all over its vast wall, just like in the Ministry of Magic. They must be used by those travelling through the Floo powder network. The floor was made of glossy marble and the ceiling was.  
  
Harry gasped. The ceiling didn't look like a ceiling at all. It was like a dark bottomless pit with ghostly images of past events. Harry even saw the image of Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange and the other Death Eaters being arrested by the authorities. The images just floated around the ceiling just like the ghosts that hovered around Hogwarts. Some images were quite old, like the image of young Albus Dumbledore defeating the dark wizard, Grindelwald.  
  
Harry tore his eyes away from the ceiling and looked around. In the middle of the room, was a gigantic Daily Prophet newspaper. It looked exactly the same as that day's issue of the Daily Prophet. Harry could even see the huge moving photograph of Dumbledore shaking Fudge's hand. A tall bald wizard was actually flipping the pages of this gigantic paper with his wand, as if he was inspecting it.  
  
Just a few inches away from the huge newspaper, Harry saw the most peculiar thing. A group of insects including some grasshoppers, lady bugs, fire flies, dragon flies, roaches, bees, praying mantises and locusts, were standing in a line, and there's a witch walking from left to right in front of them giving them orders, as if she was the general of an army and the insects were her soldiers. Harry came closer to hear what she's saying to them.  
  
"The next time I send you incompetent fools out there, I want you to bring back some news that are worth writing about, not this rubbish that you have given me! Is that understood!!" yelled the woman. "I don't care if you have to hide inside the waste basket or live inside the ear of another wizard as long as you get great stories!"  
  
Then her voice started to sound dramatic. "When I first started here, I had to stay inside the nose of Cornelius Fudge for a week just to get the inside scoop on the Ministry of Magic!" she looked at each of them fiercely. "Well, if you want to make it big in this business you must be willing to take the risk of being swallowed, sniffed or flushed!" The insects made different noises as a sign that they agreed. "Well.Dismissed!!!"  
  
And to Harry's surprise, all of the insects turned into witches and wizards in an instant. It seemed that Rita Skeeter wasn't the only Animagus reporter of the Daily Prophet. That explains why they were able to report every single detail of almost all important events. If the Ministry of Magic finds out about this, the Daily Prophet would be out of business. Harry doubted that any of these Animagi has the approval of the ministry.  
  
Harry continued his search for the exit. He's certain that at that moment, Lizzy must have realized that he didn't really go to the loo. She must be looking for him that very instant. He must hurry before.  
  
A hand grabbed Harry's hand. He's done for! The person dragged him into a dark corridor. He couldn't see her face but Harry was sure that it was a woman. Harry was feeling desperate, he tried to yank the woman's hand off but she was too strong for him. If only he had his wand with him, he could probably do something, but he left it at the Dursley manor. Without it, he felt utterly helpless.  
  
The woman was leading him to door at the end of the dark corridor. But this door was not as interesting as the doors upstairs, it looked eerie. It was old and rotting and there were cobwebs all over it. For all he knows, Voldemort might be waiting right behind that door.  
  
~  
  
* Do you remember Kennilworthy Whisp? He was the author of Quidditch through the ages. I couldn't resist mentioning his name. I just thought that it would make perfect sense if he's the writer of the Sports and Leisure column of the Daily prophet. 


	3. Chapter 3: Agatha Trimble

Chapter 3: Agatha Trimble  
  
The woman slowly reached for the door's handle. Harry held his breath as she carefully turned the knob. When she pushed the door open, a huge but perverse-looking room revealed itself. Harry felt himself being pushed inside and he didn't even resist. Half of him knew he had to escape because Voldemort would surely kill him, but half of him wanted to face Voldemort and finish this conflict between them once and for all.  
  
The room looked definitely creepy. It was the exact opposite of Lizzy's office. Everything inside seemed to be made of glossy, dark wood. The only source of light was the huge stone fireplace beside a large old bookcase filled with antique-looking books. Right in front of Harry was a large wooden desk with a huge ancient armchair behind it. Harry felt that someone was sitting on it although he couldn't see the person's face because only the back of the chair was facing him.  
  
Harry waited anxiously for the person to face him. He expected to hear Voldemort's cold, hissing voice and see his pale, snake-like face. But again, what happened next wasn't what he expected at all.  
  
Harry heard a woman's voice coming from behind the chair. "Leave us!" she said.  
  
At the sound of the lady's voice, the woman behind Harry turned to leave the room. He glanced behind him to get a better look at the face of the woman who grabbed him. The fire cast some light at the woman's face and to his surprise, it wasn't Lizzy. It was a short, plump, middle-aged witch with oversized glasses and mousy brown hair.  
  
The woman sitting on the armchair stood up and ripped back the divide of the curtains, allowing the sunlight to fill the room. The room wasn't as creepy as Harry thought. In fact it wasn't creepy at all. The furniture were all antiques and well-furnished but they all looked quite elegant. The books on the shelves weren't really that old and the armchair was definitely not ancient. Harry noticed for the first time that there were actually crystal vases filled with pastel-coloured wild flowers sitting on the long table near the window. The walls were also covered with Victorian wallpaper and large scenery paintings in shiny brass frames. The room was actually very stylish and cosy and Harry was just too paranoid to think that it was eerie.  
  
The woman faced Harry and she was definitely the exact opposite of Lizzy. She's probably on her late sixties but her elegant and poised stature made her look ten years younger. She was wearing a silky, turquoise robe that looked great with her emerald necklace. Her silvery grey hair was held in a sleek bun and her eyes were bright green just like Harry's. Her face looked stern but kind and she gave Harry a feeling of security.  
  
"Harry Potter, right?" the woman asked in a gentle voice.  
  
Harry nodded without taking his eyes of her.  
  
"Well Mr. Potter, May I ask you what you are doing here at the Daily Prophet?"  
  
"Ah... well... That reporter, Lizzy...I mean Elizabeth Iglich transported me here using a portkey. She said she wanted to get an exclusive interview," replied Harry.  
  
The woman shook her head lightly and said in a disappointed tone, "She never listens! I told her dozens of time not to abduct people again just to get an interview!"  
  
She walked towards the fireplace and threw some floo powder into it. The bright orange flames instantly turned green. A few seconds later, the plump woman's head appeared on top of the flames.  
  
"Mathilde, go to Lizzy's office this very minute and tell her that I wish to see her! She has some explaining to do," the old lady said in a very bossy tone.  
  
Harry imagined Hermione to be somewhat like this woman fifty years from now. Everything about her, from her bossy tone and poised appearance reminded him of her. After a few seconds, the plump woman apparated accompanied by a guilty-looking Lizzy. Lizzy looked so nervous that her face looked even older than it already was. Whoever this old lady was she's definitely someone with high authority here.  
  
"Mathilde, go to Mr. Riley and ask him to bring me a portkey to Privet Drive," ordered the woman.  
  
Mathilde bowed down and immediately left the room. Lizzy didn't seem as cocky now as she was when she talked to Harry. She looked like a well- behaved little puppy.  
  
"Well...speak!" commanded the woman.  
  
"I...I, um, you see.it's kinda like.ah. I sort of sent him here," stuttered Lizzy.  
  
"Sort of! What did I tell you about bringing outsiders here?" the woman said in a composed voice.  
  
"I...I just wanted an interview! Please, Ms. Trimble," begged Lizzy. "I was just trying to do my job."  
  
"Your job is to write about Fashion and Lifestyle! So, stop meddling with things outside your department! As chief editor of the Daily Prophet, I have a duty to stop my employees from doing things that might ruin this paper's reputation. So, this is the last time I'm going to let you get away with this sort of fiasco! Do you understand?"  
  
Lizzy nodded. She disapparated without saying a word. She was so different from the Lizzy Harry met earlier. What just happened made Harry wonder even more about the identity of the woman in front of him.  
  
Once Lizzy was gone, the woman approached Harry. As she came closer to him, he couldn't help but notice her great resemblance to his mother. Her bright green eyes and her thin but lovely lips looked just like Lily's. When she was only an arms length away from Harry she smiled and said in a soft voice, "I'm terribly sorry for what Lizzy did. That woman seemed to have a few screws loose. Don't worry; I'm going to get you back home in no time."  
  
She paused for a moment and said, "But first, let me look at you." She stared at Harry from head to foot. Harry's ears went pink with embarrassment but the woman seemed quite pleased. "My...my...you sure have grown into handsome young man. Your mother would have been very proud."  
  
"You knew my mother?"  
  
"Yes, I did. I knew her very well..." There was a very sad look on her face when she mentioned Harry's mother. It seemed like Lily meant a lot to this woman.  
  
Harry was about to say something when they heard a loud knock at the door. The woman ordered the new visitor to enter and the tall bald man Harry saw earlier went inside carrying a silver tray with a can of soda on top of it.  
  
"I have the portkey you asked for Ms. Trimble," the man said in a very courteous manner.  
  
"Thank you Mr. Riley! Now, would you please hand it over to the boy, so that he could finally go home." She brought her attention back to Harry and said, "Well, I guess this is goodbye. It's an honour finally meeting you Mr. Potter. Just touch the can and you'll be back home."  
  
Mr. Riley walked towards Harry and extended the tray to him. As Harry touched the crushed soda can, he felt the familiar jolt behind his navel, but before he lost sight of the office he yelled out to the woman, "Wait, I still don't know your name!"  
  
The woman smiled and said, "The name's Trimble. Agatha Trimble." After hearing this, Ms. Trimble and the office vanished and all Harry could see were swirling winds and colours. 


	4. Chapter 4: Back at the House of Black

Chapter 4: Back at the house of Black Harry could not believe what just happened. Just this morning he was eating breakfast at the Dursley's back yard and now he just came back from a trip to the Daily Prophet. But his little tour made several questions come up in his mind like, If Lizzy was a Death Eater, Why didn't she kill him when she had the chance? And who's Agatha Trimble? Why did he have such a weird feeling when he's around her? But no matter how much Harry thought of everything that happened, he couldn't find any answer to these questions. Well, one thing was for certain, he sure was exhausted. He laid on his bed and was about to take a nap when Hedwig landed on his stomach, carrying a couple of letters. Harry took them off her beak and patted her head appreciatively before she flew into her cage. He opened the first letter which was from Ron.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
Things have become really messy around here now that You-Know-Who's out in the open. He hasn't shown up yet but the Death Eaters have become quite aggressive. Dad and the others are having a really hard time trying to control them.  
  
Anyway, have you seen the advert of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes at the paper? Mum went berserk when she saw it; I think she almost had a heart attack. She told Fred and George not to go home until that joke shop is on but they still refused to close it down. Oh, and Percy's back home, that git! He came home the day Fudge announced the return of You-Know-Who. Mum and Dad forgave him of course, as if that slimy piece of dung is really sorry for what he did. Ginny and I are still not talking to him. Bill and Charlie pretended to be too busy to notice him.  
  
Well, I think Dumbledore's gonna let you come here earlier than scheduled. Hope the Muggles are treating you better! See you here soon!  
  
Ron Harry scrambled to get the Daily Prophet which was now lying on the floor. He flipped the pages until he saw the huge and colourful advert of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. It had a huge moving photograph of Fred and George demonstrating their Invisibility hat, followed by the following words:  
  
Tired of your old boring wands?  
  
Can't stand your annoying Professor?  
  
Ever wish you could get back at that big and mean school bully?  
  
Well we have the solution to your everyday problems!  
  
"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes"  
  
Fake wands, Skiving Snack-boxes, Invisibility hats, Avenging Sweets  
  
You name it, we have it!  
  
Weasley's Wizard Wheezes  
  
The jokeshop with an attitude!  
  
Located beside Florean Frotesque's Ice Cream shop  
  
Diagon Alley  
  
Soon to open:  
  
Weasley's Wizard Wheezes  
  
Hogsmead Branch  
  
"Wow, they really did it!" Harry said to himself. He sure was glad that he gave his price money at the Triwizard tournament to Fred and George, although he felt quite guilty whenever he thought of Mrs. Weasley. She was always nice to him and now because of him two of her sons wouldn't come home. He suddenly remembered the other letter. He sat on his bed and tore it open. It was actually from his former Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, Professor Lupin.  
  
Harry,  
  
I hope that everything is going well between you and the muggles. Everything is quite fine here. Now that the ministry is on our side, it is much easier to do our jobs. Even the Muggle Prime Minister has agreed to help us. Voldemort is still nowhere to be found but we are doing our best to find him. Harry, you must keep your eyes open at all times. We never know when he will be attacking. He's probably in hiding by now, but we all know that he's just getting his strength back. So, as Moody always says to us, Constant Vigilance, Harry, constant vigilance. Don't worry I have a couple of good new for you. Dumbledore already gave us the signal to bring you here. He seems to think that because of all those Death Eater attacks, you will be much safer here, under the Order's protection. A member of the Order will be picking you up on Tuesday next week and don't tell the Muggles that we're coming. Well, we are all looking forward to seeing you again. And Harry, whatever you do, just be careful!  
  
Moony  
  
Harry folded the two letters and hid them both in the drawer of his bedside table. His spirit rose a little after reading those letters. At last, he will be going back to Grimauld Place where all of his friends were.  
  
I can't wait to get back there! I'm finally going to see Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Lupin, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Moody, Sirius, Tonks...."  
  
Harry felt like his stomach turned. He kept forgetting that Sirius was dead; maybe because he couldn't accept the fact that his godfather was really gone. He kept thinking that that night at the Ministry where Bellatrix Lestrange killed Sirius was just a part of the horrible nightmare he's been having. It all didn't seem real. Just last Christmas Sirius was singing Christmas carols and having a great time, and now he's gone. Harry was never convinced that Sirius was dead. He didn't even see Sirius's corpse...well, except in his dreams.  
  
And a few days from now, Harry will be going back to the place where he and Sirius spent their happiest moments together. The place where they were supposed to live once Sirius's name was cleared. But Sirius never got the chance to clear his name and Harry's dreams of living with his godfather vanished, in a flick of a wand.  
  
The thought of going back to Grimauld place suddenly became gloomy. Harry realized that he would be entering a house filled with Sirius's memories but without Sirius in it. Nothing would ever be the same. He was able to bear the last few months because there was nothing that would remind him of Sirius, but once he's back at Grimauld place, the battered doors, the rotting smell, the peeling wallpaper and the Doxy infested curtains of the derelict House of Black would remind him of his beloved godfather.  
  
He spent the next few days dreading the arrival of Tuesday. Three days came by like a breeze. Four days passed, five days, and finally Tuesday came. Harry's things were all packed up in his trunk, Hedwig was sitting comfortably in her cage and his room was as tidy as it ever could be. Harry was good to go, but he felt like he wanted to hide inside the loose floorboard in his room and wait there until the start of term at Hogwarts arrive. In all his life, he never thought the day would come that he would rather stay with the Dursleys and be pummelled on by Dudley than go back to the Wizarding world to be with his friends.  
  
He was actually on the verge of opening his trunk and throwing his things back into the closet when the doorbell rang. He heard Uncle Vernon's heavy footsteps coming from the kitchen and moving to the door. Harry expected to hear Uncle Vernon's frantic yells once he opened the door and saw a wizard, but Harry heard nothing.  
  
He carefully sneaked downstairs to see what was going on. He saw Uncle Vernon talking to someone in a very courteous manner.  
  
"What can I do for you miss? Is it about my son Dudley? Are you one of his professors in Smeltings?" Uncle Vernon asked politely.  
  
"I'm afraid not Mr. Dursley." The woman said in a prerogative tone. "I'm the Deputy Headmistress of St. Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys. Someone has just reported to us that a juvenile delinquent is staying here at your respectable home. According to our sources his name is Harry James Potter and he is very dangerous. I have come here to take custody of him before he does anything to harm your family. Is he here?"  
  
Uncle Vernon looked as if he was just promoted as president of Grunnings. The smirk on his face was so wide that it seemed like all his prayers have been answered.  
  
"Is that so?" he said to the woman, trying really hard to keep himself from jumping up and down and screaming with glee. "Well, please do come in Miss- "  
  
"Dashwood, Olivia Dashwood," said the woman.  
  
Harry went closer to get a better look and he saw a stern but very beautiful woman with sleek honey-blonde hair tied up in neat bun and wearing a very smart-looking but sexy black business suit, a pair of stylish black shoes with stiletto heels and a pair of rimless eyeglasses. She was also carrying a large leather suitcase that completed her executive look.  
  
Uncle Vernon lead the woman to their well kept living room and called for his wife Petunia. Harry tiptoed behind them to find out what they're talking about. He hid underneath Aunt Petunia's new coffee table and faced sideways to hear everything clearly.  
  
Aunt Petunia entered the room wearing a floral apron, and looking quite confused. She was obviously taken aback by the extremely poised appearance of their guest. Harry even saw her glance at herself in the mirror to see if she didn't look too shabby compared to the woman in front of her. She flattened her hair a bit and wiped her face with the paper towel she's holding then she sat beside her husband, without taking her eyes off Ms. Dashwood.  
  
"What is the meaning of this Vernon?" she immediately asked her husband.  
  
"Well, this nice lady here is from St. Brustus' and she's finally going to take Harry off our hands to teach him some good manners. You and I both know that that boy needs to receive some proper discipline!" Vernon replied joyfully.  
  
Aunt Petunia still looked quite puzzled. It took some time before she was able to process what she heard. Then she blurted out, "So, you're telling me that this woman is taking Harry away from us for good?"  
  
"Not for good madam, just for the entire school year. He'll be back here next summer, better than ever! Allow me to show you our Institute's brochure." Ms. Dashwood brought out a glossy blue leaflet with the St. Brutus's crest at the centre. "As you can see madam we have top of the line facilities."  
  
Aunt Petunia stared at the photographs in the brochure. There were photographs of various school facilities including the classrooms, the cafeteria, the gymnasium and the Olympic-size swimming pool. "Well this looks like nice school. Wait a minute! What are those chains on the walls of the class rooms for? And those Professors, why are they holding steel pipes?" gasped Aunt Petunia.  
  
Ms. Dashwood laughed mildly. "Well, the chains are for worse cases and the pipes are our way of imposing proper discipline. We used canes before but we realized that they weren't hard enough. Pipes really do work! See how well behaved our students are." She pointed at a picture of some boys, just about Harry's age, scrubbing the gymnasium floor with a toothbrush.  
  
At that moment panic began to creep inside Harry. He felt like there's suddenly a huge lump in his throat. Chains, steel pipes and scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush! That sounds even worse than staying with the Dursleys.  
  
"Come on Petunia, this is what we've always been praying for a very long time. Just say yes and that blasted Potter kid will be out of our hair in an instant!" persuaded Uncle Vernon.  
  
Aunt Petunia, please don't say yes! Please don't say yes! Please...  
  
Petunia thought for a long while. She had always thought that Harry was a good-for-nothing low-life but he was still her nephew. Her blood was still in his veins and she did give her word to Dumbledore. But she suddenly thought of Voldemort. Now that he's back, he'd want to get even with Harry, and her family might get involved in their conflict. She may have been a very nosy and envious woman but she cared a lot about her family, and if sending Harry away would save them from a lunatic dark wizard then she would definitely have him leave her home this very instant.  
  
She looked at Ms. Dashwood and firmly said, "Alright, I agree."  
  
Harry felt like a couple of trolls hit his head with their clubs. His life was definitely over. Good bye Hogwarts, good bye wizarding world, hello steel pipes and chains!  
  
At that moment Ms. Dashwood said coldly. "Splendid, now just sign this contract and I'll be taking the boy with me."  
  
Uncle Vernon immediately signed the contract without even reading it. Aunt Petunia reluctantly followed her husband's lead.  
  
Then Uncle Vernon stood up and said, happier then ever, "Well, There's no time to waste! I'll get the boy then!"  
  
Harry was about to sneak out of his hiding place before Uncle Vernon finds out that he's eavesdropping to their conversation, but someone suddenly grabbed his shirt and pulled him out of his hiding place.  
  
"Well, what do we have here? A nosy little freak! Oh, you're in so much trouble!" Dudley, Harry's huge but useless cousin, said menacingly.  
  
He pushed Harry into the living room. "Dad, look who's eavesdropping under mom's coffee table!"  
  
"You found him! Good job Dudley! You saved me the trouble of going up to get him!" Uncle Vernon delightedly said.  
  
"But dad, I just caught him nosing around! Do you want me to do to him that new move I've been practicing for my next boxing match?" Dudley proudly said as he began punching the air with his huge porky fists.  
  
"No need Diddykins! Harry will be leaving now with this nice lady here!" Aunt Petunia said sweetly while squeezing Dudley's fat pink cheeks.  
  
"He's leaving? Not to that freaky school again!" Dudley said bitterly.  
  
"No, darling he's going to St. Brutus's" replied Aunt Petunia.  
  
The expression on Dudley's face changed. And he even looked more delighted when Uncle Vernon showed him St. Brutus's leaflets. Harry was certain that Dudley would really love the idea of Harry being chained to the wall while being beaten up with steel pipes. After all the commotion, Ms Dashwood asked Harry to come closer. He hesitantly and slowly walked towards her. He felt like he was entering the Wizengamot and he was about to be sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. Ms. Dashwood opened her mouth and began explaining the situation in a very dull tone. Harry didn't hear a word she said though, because his mind was too busy formulating plans on how to get out of this sticky situation. He thought of grabbing his trunk and running out of there as fast as he could, or he could just break out of St. Brutus's by contacting his friends using Hedwig. Hundreds of ideas came up in his mind but all of them seemed impossible to do. He even thought of using a Polyjuice potion to turn himself into Dudley and Dudley into him so Dudley would be sent to St. Brutus's instead of him. Then he realized that Polyjuice potions took a month to prepare and he only had a few minutes left before that Dashwood woman takes him to St. Brutus's.  
  
He was suddenly brought back into his senses when someone grabbed his arm and began pulling him. He looked up and saw that Ms. Dashwood was dragging him towards the door.  
  
Harry yanked off Ms. Dashwood's hand and yelled, "Let go of me! I'm not going a step further with you!"  
  
"Look, boy! This is for your own good! St. Brutus' is a great place! Trust me!" said Ms. Dashwood with a devilish grin on her face.  
  
In a few moments, Uncle Vernon came down carrying Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage. "Well, here's his stuff!" Uncle Vernon said to Ms. Dashwood then he looked at Harry menacingly and said, "I don't know where you were planning to go boy, packing your stuff and all; but wherever that is, you'll never be able to go there because your only destination is St. Brutus'!"  
  
Hedwig started making a racket when she heard Uncle Vernon's voice.  
  
"Oh, that bloody bird!" bellowed Uncle Vernon while furiously shaking Hedwig's cage. "I'm finally going to be able to get rid of you! Your master won't need you anymore!"  
  
"Actually," interrupted Ms. Dashwood. "We encourage our students to have pets. Taking care of animals teaches them to have a sense of responsibility." Then she snatched Hedwig's cage from Uncle Vernon's hand. "The boy can keep his owl. Although, I must say, very few people have owls for pets."  
  
Then after a few last insults from Uncle Vernon, a few reminders from Aunt Petunia and a few good bye punches from Dudley, Ms. Dashwood dragged Harry out of the house and into her car. Harry sat by himself at the back seat as Uncle Vernon loaded his trunk into the car's compartment. Ms. Dashwood handed Hedwig to Harry as she had a few last words with Uncle Vernon.  
  
"Well Hedwig, I guess it's going to be just the two of us now. Maybe St. Brutus' is not such a bad place; it can't be that different from Hogwarts. Besides, I don't have to worry anymore about being expelled if I use magic outside of school."  
  
As Ms. Dashwood started the engine and the car began to move with a loud bang, Harry finally accepted his terrible fate. He would have to give up on magic forever and he would have to spend the whole year in a huge torture chamber disguised as a school. Just as he was about to feel sick because of too much aggravation, he heard a very familiar voice coming from the driver's seat.  
  
"You alright there, Harry?" I know that voice! But it can't be! "Tonks!!!" yelled Harry.  
  
Ms. Dashwood turned around and faced Harry. Her hair wasn't blonde anymore, instead it was green and curly and her eyes were suddenly hazel instead of blue. Her stern and rigid face was now friendly and cheery. She smiled at Harry broadly and said in a really excited voice.  
  
"I did it! I fooled the muggles! I can't believe I pulled it off! I really pulled it off!"  
  
"But how-, why-, I can't believe it's really you Tonks!" Harry screamed. He was still in a bit of a shock but he never felt that relieved in his entire life.  
  
"Well, it was Dumbledore's idea! He said that if we pick you up dressed as wizards, those muggles will give us a really hard time and they'll be asking a lot of questions. Questions that we definitely couldn't answer. Aside from that, Dumbledore wanted to test your Aunt Begonia, or was it Leticia? Anyway, he wanted to know if she will keep her promise, apparently she didn't. Well, I'm just glad they didn't find out I'm a witch! I'm really getting good at this! All those hard work in Muggle Studies really paid off!" Tonks said excitedly.  
  
"But you could have told me about your plan! I mean, you have no idea how I felt back there! I thought I was never gonna see my friends and I'm going to be tortured for an entire year!!!" bellowed Harry.  
  
"Well, we would have told you if we figured this plan out earlier, but Dumbledore only thought of it last night! Besides, it wouldn't be as believable if you knew I was a witch! The muggles wouldn't buy it for sure! So, what do you think? Do I make a great muggle impersonator?" asked Tonks.  
  
"Hell, yeah! You surely fooled me! But I have to admit you were a bit too classy for a deputy headmistress. You looked like a secret agent or something!"  
  
"Secret agents huh! I heard about those in our Muggle studies class, they're like the muggle counterpart of the Unspeakables, right?"  
  
"Yeah, sort of like that."  
  
"Wow, I really looked like one of them? Wicked! We'll enough talk; I must get you to the manor before it gets dark. We have to take a short cut."  
  
"A shortcut? But-" But before Harry could finish what he was saying the whole car just vanished and so did he. It was as if he turned into a pair of floating eyeballs. All of a sudden, the car began moving upwards. It levitated higher and higher until it was at the same level with the clouds where it made a sudden halt. They hovered there for about a minute then Harry heard an ear-splitting noise that sounded like a gigantic steam engine, and flames came out from the back of the car and without warning, the car zoomed forward like a rocket! It was going so fast, they seemed to be travelling at the speed of light. Then it hit Harry! There's only one car in the world that could fly and make itself invisible, Mr. Weasley's car!  
  
"Tonks! This car doesn't happen to be a Ford Anglia is it!" yelled Harry.  
  
"It sure is! Hagrid found it at the Dark forest last month! I gave it a bit of a tune up, used a few extra charms on it and added the rocket boosters that Mr. Weasley found during his raid at that place called N.A.S.A. Wicked isn't it!" she yelled back. Harry's jaw dropped! He just couldn't believe that he was actually riding the same car that saved him and Ron from a bunch of gigantic spiders during his second year and it even had rocket boosters from N.A.S.A! This car could fly them to the moon if they wanted to, and to think that it was wild and in terrible shape when he last saw it.  
  
After a few minutes the car landed on an old deserted street and it suddenly became visible again. And there they were at the old Grimauld place. The moment they got there, the same battered door suddenly popped out of nowhere between house number 11 and 13 and in just a short while, the entire house materialized. The moment Harry saw the derelict and dingy old house, his feet felt like it was made of ten tons of metal. He could barely lift them. He temporarily forgot about his godfather when he thought that he was about to be sent to St. Brutus' but now he had to face reality. He had to accept the fact that he's only a few steps away from the dreadful House of Black, and there was no turning back. 


	5. Chapter 5: Flight of the Manwolf

* Finally my 5th chapter is finished. I'm sorry I took so long to finish it. I just couldn't squeeze it into my schedule. This chapter is a bit weird and unexpected but I hope you'll still like it. I know I said Chapter 5 will be entitled Snape's Mission but I think that the title is a bit inappropriate for the story.  
  
Chapter 5: The Flight of the Man-wolf  
  
"Well, there it is! Home sweet home!" Tonks said in a very cheery tone.  
  
Harry was suddenly brought back to his senses. He realized that he's been staring at the house with a very distant look on his face for quite a while. Tonks didn't seem to notice though for she was acting as cheerful as ever. She grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him towards the door.  
  
"Come on Harry! Everyone can't wait to see you!" she said.  
  
Harry did not know how Tonks managed to drag all the way to the door while his whole body was frozen and rigid with anxiety. The moment they got there she tapped the door with her wand and after a short while the door magically swung open.  
  
Harry expected to see the extremely dark hallway that greeted him during his first visit at Grimauld place, but to his surprise, what he saw was the complete opposite. He stepped inside a well-lit and elegant hallway that used to be the dark and decaying entrance hall of the House of Black. Instead of a threadbare carpet, a colourful new Bohemian one was now laying on the floor and above it was a shiny brass chandelier, instead of the cobwebby one he saw before. The walls, that used to be covered with peeling wallpaper was painted with intricate yet elegant-looking patterns that matched the carpet. The serpent candelabras and ornaments were replaced by lovely brass ones with red crystals as finishing touches. The age-blackened portraits of dark witches and wizards have also been replaced by brightly- coloured scenery paintings.  
  
Harry felt like he just stepped inside a different house. This beautiful and warm home couldn't possibly be the dilapidated House of Black. There was not even a single sign that this house used to be inhabited by some of the darkest wizards in England. Harry was about to ask Tonks about the house's new appearance but she was too busy locking up the door they just entered. It's customary in the House of Black to make sure that all bolts and shackles are securely locked after entering the door since this is the secret headquarters of the Order of Phoenix.  
  
On the other hand, the stunning new appearance of the house took Harry's mind off his worries. Since the house looked completely different, nothing could possibly remind him of his late godfather. His anxiety began to melt away and he started feeling rather happy and excited to see his friends. But where are they? Tonks mentioned a moment ago, that all of them there can't wait to see him, but why didn't anyone bother to greet him.  
  
He looked around the first landing, and there was no one in sight. All the rooms were empty and the house was awfully quiet. He checked out the kitchen. There was a pot of soup boiling at the stove and the table was set for twelve people but no one seemed to have shown up for dinner. He was heading towards the entrance hall when he heard a loud, echoing crack. That sound could only mean one thing: somebody just apparated or dissapparated.  
  
Harry quickened his pace as he walked towards the entrance. Tonks might have an idea about what was going on, but when he got there she was gone. Then he heard a very loud noise coming from upstairs. It sounded like a full-grown man howling in terrible pain. He instantly ran upstairs, following the noise.  
  
The hallway on the second landing was quite empty, but the noise seemed to be coming from one of the bedrooms. Harry could see door at the end of the corridor was slightly open. The noise must be coming from that room. He hurried towards it, but before he could reach the knob he heard a very familiar woman's voice.  
  
"The Death Eaters didn't see our faces but they sent a pack of werewolves after us! You-know-who must be getting really powerful if he's able to control the werewolf pack!" she said in a very shaky voice. "Well, I must head back to their base before they get suspicious. Take good care of him!"  
  
Then Harry heard the same loud, echoing crack, and when he opened the door the woman had already disapparated. Harry was certain that he's heard that voice before but he couldn't remember when heard it and to whom it belonged to.  
  
He slowly entered the room, and what he saw shocked him. It was his least favourite professor at Hogwarts, Snape, all sprawled up on the floor and bleeding to death. His black robes were torn up everywhere and his whole body was covered with really deep wounds. The floor was covered with blood and Snape writhed and curled with excruciating pain. Harry always hated Snape but he couldn't help but feel sorry for him at that moment.  
  
Snape was surrounded by at least a dozen wizards. All of them were really busy that they didn't even notice Harry enter the room. At the centre of the room, Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were trying to clean up Snape's wounds along with two members of the Order, Hestia Jones and Emmeline Vance. On the left side of the room, Ron and his brother, Percy, were helping Mrs. Figg chop some pyrina roots and Hermione and Professor McGonagall were brewing a potion in a large cauldron, while Lupin, Moody, Tonks and some wizards Harry had never seen before were having a heated argument on the other side.  
  
Harry walked towards Hermione. He wanted to ask her about what was going on, but it didn't seem like the right time, so he blurted out, "Can I help?"  
  
Noticing him for the first time, Hermione weakly smiled at him and said, "Oh, Hi Harry! I didn't see you come in!"  
  
"That's alright! You guys seemed to have more than you could handle in your hands right now!" said Harry, trying to look as cheerful as possible.  
  
He was about to say something when Professor McGonagall interrupted. "Potter, you're here, Good. Now, there's a barrel of toadstool at the kitchen downstairs. You two bring it up here this very instant."  
  
Before Harry could say yes, Hermione grabbed his arm and dragged him out. They headed downstairs in a very fast pace.  
  
"I'm so sorry you had to see the place in such a mess. We weren't even able to give you a proper welcome. But, we really are glad that you're here, it's just that it's such a bad time. It's not usually like this in here!" Hermione explained while they were walking down the stairs.  
  
"Don't worry, I understand. But what is going on back there? What happened to Snape?" asked Harry.  
  
"Werewolves.he got bitten by werewolves," replied Hermione in a horrified tone. "He was in an undercover mission with another member of the Order. They were spying on a Death Eater meeting, but one of the Death Eaters saw them and ordered a pack of werewolves to attack them." She paused for a moment, to catch her breath, "Oh, it was horrible! He apparated here with werewolf bites all over his body! He was barely breathing when he got here! I never liked him but I really feel sorry for him!"  
  
"But if he's bitten by a werewolf doesn't it mean that he'll become one too?"  
  
"He should have been. Luckily, a potion was invented by a Spanish warlock just a couple of years ago to counter that, the Vuelo Humanolobo or the Flight of the man-wolf. It's a very complicated potion, but it only takes a few hours to make. Professor McGonagall and I had been working on it for the past couple of hours. That's why we must hurry with the toadstools! If Snape doesn't drink that potion before midnight, he'll either turn into a werewolf or die! Very few people survive after being bitten by almost a dozen werewolves."  
  
After getting the barrel of toadstool, the two of them carefully carried it upstairs. When they got back, Snape was already laying unconsciously on the four-poster bed. Lupin was pointing his wand at him and bandages came out of its tip and were covering all of his wounds. Harry and Hermione handed Professor McGonagall the barrel of toadstool and she carefully poured its contents into the cauldron. The murky green liquid suddenly turned purple and began to bubble.  
  
"Is it supposed to look that disgusting?" Harry whispered to Hermione.  
  
"This is exactly what it's supposed to look like, Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall replied. Apparently, Harry's whisper was loud enough for her to hear.  
  
She cleared her throat and said in loud voice for all to hear, "Well, the potion is ready! Let's just hope that it will be able to heal him!"  
  
She placed a small amount of potion in a glass vial and handed it to Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley carefully poured its muddy contents into Snape's mouth and the unthinkable happened. Snape suddenly sat upright and opened his eyes, only they weren't Snape's dark eyes anymore but terrifying wolf's eyes. He fiercely glared at everyone in the room and then he tore his robes and howled like a wild animal. Then his prominent nose slowly turned into a snout, his hands and feet turned into sharply clawed paws and thick black fur began sprouting in every part of his body. As the transformation neared its completion, the wilder he became. He began tearing the bed apart. Torn-up fabric and wooden splinters flew in every direction. Snape howled even louder as the long, sharp, yellowish fangs appeared in his long snout. Alas, after a few painstaking seconds, the transformation was complete. The horrifying werewolf emerged from the pile of wood that used to be a lovely antique bed. He glared at them once more, as if selecting his victim. Harry looked at the wizards around him, but none of them seemed concerned with the fact that a werewolf was about to attack them. They all just stared at Snape as if they were waiting for something to happen.  
  
"Why isn't anyone doing anything?" Harry anxiously said to Hermione.  
  
"Shush Harry! Or it'll. Aaaargh!" Hermione wasn't able to finish what she was saying for the werewolf suddenly charged towards Harry.  
  
Harry didn't know what to do. He searched for his wand but he couldn't find it. He must have left it in his trunk downstairs. As the werewolf leaped on top of him, all Harry could do was hold his breath and shut his eyes. He could almost feel the wolf's sharp claws ripping his arms off and its wide jaws fixing itself on his neck.  
  
"Harry, open your eyes! It's over, look!" Hermione whispered to his ears.  
  
Harry slowly opened his eyes and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The werewolf was frozen in mid-air. And the transformation seemed to be happening again, only this time it was backwards. The thick black fur was becoming thinner and thinner, the long snout became shorter, the fangs were slowly returning to their normal size and within a few seconds, Snape's prominent nose and dark eyes materialized. Once Snape returned to his original state, he fell to the ground, unconscious, and a thick cloud of smoke came out of his mouth and it formed the shape of a wolf. The ghost- like wolf departed from Snape's body and hovered around the room for a few seconds before it finally vanished into thin air.  
  
Harry was still rooted to the spot even though Snape was back to normal. The fact that he was that close from being nibbled on by a werewolf left him in a state of shock. Well, he was able to prove one thing through this incident: Snape will always hate Harry, no matter what form he's in. 


End file.
